Yucaipa’s city council voted 3-1 on Monday to let voters decide the fate of a large warehouse project off Interstate 10, after residents who oppose the project were able to gather the required signatures to get it on the ballot.
In August, the council approved an updated version of the Freeway Corridor Specific Plan—a development plan that aims to build about 2 million square feet of warehousing, along with housing and commercial buildings near Live Oak Canyon Road and the freeway.
The group Yucaipa Neighbors Opposing Warehousing filed two referendums to challenge that decision, gathering over 10,000 signatures in the process.
During the meeting, City Clerk Ana Sauseda presented the council with two options: to place one of the referendums on the ballot for an upcoming election or to repeal the resolution in its entirety.
Ultimately, the council voted to place the referendum on the ballot for next year’s California Primary Election which is set for June 2, 2026, citing the need to allow the people to vote.
“The right thing to do in a democracy is to let people vote,” said Councilman Bob Miller. “I think it's just the right thing to do...You got to give credit to the folks who went out and got the signatures.”
Most speakers in the audience shared with the council that they supported the referendum vote, with most asking it to be placed on the ballot for the June primary election, instead of waiting until November. Jana Lovell, who moved to Yucaipa about a decade ago due to its “beautiful and open” landscape, said it's been rough to navigate truck traffic.
“So of course, there is concern that warehouses with 2 million square feet and the traffic with the trucks would increase that traffic,” said Lovell. “There is a lot of community concern, and I do believe that the community should be able to speak and vote on it.”
Resident Kathy Sellers, who is also with Yucaipa NOW, said she’s satisfied with the council’s decision, but says now the real fight starts. She anticipates that opponents of the referendum are likely to invest time and resources to make sure it fails.
“We'll just hopefully prevail, at least get the message out to as much of the community as we possibly can,” said Sellers, “so they know what's coming and can make a reasoned determination and vote according to how they feel about things. But we deserve the right to take it to that.”
But Mayor Pro Tem Chris Venable said he voted against the measure because of the costs associated with holding a referendum. City Clerk Sauseda reported that placing the referendum on the June ballot would cost an estimated $124,000, while holding a special election in April would increase that cost to about $547,000.
Venable, who favored repealing the approval instead, also pushed for creating an ad-hoc committee of residents, landowners, and city officials to find a compromise, a proposal that ultimately failed.
“I mean, we spend the money on this and to get our butts kicked again,” said Venable. “And that's what we're trying to tell everybody. “We're spending their money.”
Resident Abraham Issa shared that he supported the Freeway Corridor Specific Plan and is concerned Yucaipa is losing out on tax revenue due to the project being halted. Still, Issa says he supports putting the project up for the voters to decide.
“There has been so much steady discussion and multiple votes on this issue already,” said Issa. “Let's finish it on June 2, and please vote to have this addressed in fairness to the people that signed the referendum and to those who refused to sign it, and let them all vote.”
